The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-11-24
NEGROES OF THE COAST.

be Laid aside and carefully avoided."-
New York Tribune, #y
NEGROES OF THE COAST.
A GRAPHIC SKETCH OF LIFE AMONG
THE SOUTHERN FREEDMEN.
''Natives" of the Island of Hilton Head.
A Strange Collection of Human Incon-
gruity-Customs and SIanners-Tl,e Hap
piest People on the Earth.
Chapters have been written about the
negro Of the coast. Today we propose to
sketch briefly his general mode of life,
without dwelling upon any one of his
characteristics. Let us take the island of
Hilton Head, which is not many miles
from Savannah and nearer still to Beau
fort, q dozen miles or more of whose mag
nificent beach is washed by Calaboge
sound and the Atlantic itself. OF the
island itself, it may be said that it is
about seventeen miles in length by about
five in width; that il Is barren enough TO
grow pea vines and nut grass indifferently,
and that, with the exception of perhaps
800 acres of cleared land, it is densely
covered with pine, cedar and palmetto, in
whose thickets deer, turkey and smaller
game, notably the raccoon, abound. Of
the people who inhabit it, much more may
be said. Several weeks ago the writer,
while temporarily seafaring, encountered
a terrific gale off Hilton Head and was
G.--tiTTen upon its arid shores, where he was
forced, whether or not, to remain fer a
week. 1t may be well, in order the mere
faithfully to describe the manners and
customs Of the natives, to sketch briefly
our enforced sojourn among them, and
this we will endeavor to DO.
''NATfEEs" ON THE BEACL.
1t was late in August when the squall
struck US. Our boat was unwieldy and
anything but seaworthy, but with all
sails set we managed to keep her before
the wind, and clumsy as she was we flew
through the boiling breakers at q mad
rate. We crossed Broad river furiously,
and our landing, most dangerous feat
under such circumstances, was accom-
plished with marvellous good luck. Hay
ing drawn our craft into creek, where
she found partial protection from the
natives They had gathered upon the
beach in great numbers-men, women
and children-viewing US with gaping
curiosity, Not that the sight of boat
was a novelty, but that the strange faces
in it awoke establishment, if not, wonder.
The men were brawny, muscular fellows,
dressed in every variety Of patched gar
ments; the women wore short frOcks,
Il 60 L,
children Of either sex boosted single
garment Mother Hubbard in appearance,
and the younger children, probably from
10 and under, wore only-their skins.
Amid this collection of human incon-
gruity we made our bow and begged to
be shown to the nearest hotel. An in
credulous guffaw, that rose in chorus
above the bowling of the wind, answered
us, and we were pointed to the "Islant,"
whose barrenness was decidedly intensi-
fed by the woebegoneness of the numer-
Gus log huts that punctuated and EN-
phasized it,
Except that they were adorned with
clapboard roofs, these habitations were
models of pigpens, with hole in one end
for a door and clay chimney.in the other.
They had once been clayed over-that is,
the inch or so of space between the logs
had been stopped up with clay--but the
clay had long since been attracted by
gravitation, and the cracks had never been
refilled. There were no floors; mother
earth was plenty good enough. There
were some benches and pine table, but
no chairs Everything was smoke be-
grimed, not excepting The Police Gazette
pictures that were pasted about in i'm
81 he
that already described, consisted for the
most part of tin pans and cans, pots and
pals, dogs land what dogs, cats land oh,
what CATS, and an occasional chicken
worth a quarter. There We're also odors
of dried fish, and crab like odors, and sug-
gestions of mud. There were occasional
optical illusions Of watermelon rinds, and
quite often glimpse of raccoon skin
stretched proudly against some favored
square foot Of smoothness. There were
fish scales, oyster shells, and crab backs
abundantly strewn about and plentifuhy
interspersed with the bones of forgotten
sharks.
CUSTOMS AND MANNERS.
All this wholesome sight we saw with
less of wonder than may be supposed, for
we had been among this people before,
who are peculiar people, and who dwell
exclusively upon the islands of the Caro-
lima coast. But what of their customs and
manners9 Well, they live on fish, oysters,
crabs and other productions of the salt
water. They plant potatoes, corn and
cotton and they make enough by this
means to clothe themselves, or more nc
curately to half clothe themselves, but
they seldom make anything over. Their
corn and some of their potatoes are put
aside to be eaten through the season Tor as
long as it lasts rather) with the fish in
prospect, but the fish in prospect is uni
versally depended upon to keep the wolf
from the door. The cotton and the pota-
toes, except the remnant mentioned, to-
gether with slim supply of chickens and
eggs, are taken to Savannah or Beaufort
in broken lots and exchanged for clothing
and stpart cash. This is hasty out
line of their customs. AS to their man.
as they please In ell things. They dress as
they please, go where they please, and say
what they please after their manner of say
ing it. Their children, male and female,
are taught to row and fish from infancy,
and many boat load of darby damsels
have we seen battling manfully % with
the waves. And their language! great
Caesar. 1t is ear splitting--simply mon
strous. We shall not attempt to describe
ii, since we have attempted it before and
failed.
To conclude, this people, we verify be-
Geve, is the happiest people upon earth.
What have they to worry or distress themS
What to concern them at all, save the
finding of bait and the finding of fish, an3
the occasional catching of a coon, all Of
which is separate delight and concerns
them only in 50 much as 1t gives them
pleasure. And the man of the world--of
the different, the widely different world
who Is given to see and reflect upon this
exclusive and peculiar people, can but say
70 himself afterward, sshere ignorance is
hiss. '"-Augusta (Ga.) Gazette.